Genetics of Wild and Captive Lobster Populations

Abstract

There has been a signifi cant increase in the number of genetic investigations into lobster biology in recent years. We summarize and evaluate the insights provided by these studies, with emphasis on population structure, reproductive biology, diet, species identifi cation and fi sheries - induced evolution. The applications of genetic techniques are far reaching and likely to become increasingly important to aquaculture and fi sheries research and management. In particular, applications of species identification and DNA barcoding techniques allow for surveillance of product substitution and contamination. It can also be used to map species distributions, understand food webs, attribute catch to stocks and for mapping the distribution and abundance of planktonic larvae. We conclude by discussing how the development of new genetic technologies is likely to deliver further novel insights about the biology of lobsters and provide important foundations for future fi sheries management.